A HAMPSHIRE man has been found guilty of selling hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit goods.

James McGovern banked more than £300,000 by selling counterfeit batteries and camera accessories using big brand names such as Nikon, Canon and Casio over an 18-month period, a court was told.

The 27-year-old traded under the business name of Hot Deal using the Amazon Marketplace platform to advertise goods.

But police started an investigation when they were made aware he was making transfers of large sums of money out of the country to China and Taiwan, jurors were told.

Test purchases confirmed products were not genuine, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.

Trading Standards officers raided his home in Hamble High Street in May last year and found bags and boxes full of batteries, electronic goods and camera accessories as well as unbranded items with separate packaging and separate instruction manuals, the trial heard. McGovern, of Sapphire Court, in Ocean Village, Southampton had denied the charges and claimed he was unaware the goods were counterfeit until shortly before his arrest.

The court heard how he blamed a third party for swapping genuine items during the delivery process.

After his arrest, McGovern revealed how the goods had been supplied through contacts in China.

He conceded that there were counterfeit goods in his property, but claimed he had travelled to China to investigate after customers returned items, the court heard.

He claimed he had informed Chinese police and planned to report it to police on his return to England.

But jurors found McGovern guilty on 14 charges of unauthorised use of a trademark and one of acquiring criminal property. He will be sentenced at a later date.

A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: “We’re very pleased with this result.”